Once upon a Time
by Yami Mizumi
Summary: An old man decides to tell his grandson a tale of heroes and deeds of the past


_Note to readers: This is a ELA terrible 6th grader writing and it is based off of My Queen, You are My King by TheThirdTime'sACharm ( I mean the storytelling) so you should go read it first. A word of thanks for allowing me to kinda borrow your story's plot. It is really great. I got this idea when someone wrote something in the reviews like, this fic is like a fairy tale yet there is still a mature writing style. I was kinda inspired to write this XD. This is my first fanfic so constructive criticism is appreciated. I know this story is really cheesy bit please R&R anyway. S/O to SnowyRefuge for beta reading this and giving me tips on how to improve._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing if I owned the Fate series, Shirou would've died in the 1st ep. And I would be filthy rich. :P_

"Can you tell me a bedtime story grandpa? Please?" A child not older than 7 looked at his grandpa expectantly like an child would when they want a late night story. He was jumpy nit being able to sit still trying to contain his excitement. His grandpa always told him the best of stories.

The grandfather sighed and sat on a wooden chair next to the bed. He knew if he didn't tell a story, his grandson would not sleep and keep pestering him until he did so. "Alright. Listen carefully. Once upon a time, there lived 2 great rulers. One, a Queen. Another, a King who once served the Queen as a loyal knight. Both loved each other and we're loved by their subjects but fate, was cruel."

"What happens next? Hmm? Hmm?" This seemed promising to the boy so he moved closer as if anticipating the story.

"Don't rush me okay? Once upon a time, a mysterious but powerful fleet threatened the tranquility of the land. Peace no longer existed in the land, distraught by the fleet. No one truly cared to help instead seeming believing sending gifts, _gifts_, would make everything better. However, one king agreed to help on the condition that the Queen would be his wife and produce him a heir. The Queen agreed all for the sake of defending her kingdom. The king was very happy with the agreement." He looked to see if the child felt the _need _to well, make a completely unnecessary comment. It was really like a bad habit not being able to sit still.

"This is interesting Gramps!" The eyes of the child sparkled obviously engrossed with the fast paced events.

"Please be quiet child. Let me continue. Once upon a time, her knight was very... dissatisfied with the agreement. He detested the foreign king. When the fleet attacked once again, he got fatally wounded. His Queen made a deal with the king that in exchange for her kingdom, he would have his healers save her knight. As the days passed, the Queen grew weaker everyday."

"This is a weird story Gramps." The child looked up frowning not understanding the point.

"Would you prefer no story then?" If anything, he hated being interrupted, but the child just seemed to love doing so. He made a mental note to teach the child about respecting people by not interrupting. At this rate, he would never finish.

"Sorry..." The boy looked down obviously not wanting the threat to occur. That would be his own kind of nightmare.

"Good. Now where was I?... Ah yes... Once upon a time, the baby was born. The king was greatly disappointed as the baby was a girl, not a boy. The Queen could not comprehend his disappointment. What was so bad? Was it because he wanted 'immortality' as men strangely called it? She was content however. She cherished and valued _her_ child dearly. As the child grew up, her father was never around so she believed the knight was her father. The Queen attempted to correct this, but alas, no results came from that." He knew the child had to interrupt so he paused for a moment allowing the child to speak.

"Does the knight go and kill the evil king? Does he?" He couldn't help himself. Most fairy tale books about them had simple quick stories. Evil king dies, happily ever after. So this story should be similar right?

"No spoilers now. That ruins the story. Will you please be patient for your and my sake? Now that you are quiet I can continue. Once upon a time, the knight and Queen fell in love. They... did some... things together. The Queen was now going to have another child. The king was undoubtedly furious. This was not _his _child. He set up a trap to catch the unborn child's father. The knight fell into the trap with the penalty if death. The Queen turned desperate and banished the knight so he would continue to live. She could not bear for her first knight to lose his life thanks to this malicious foreign king." He had to pause yet again. He rubbed his eyes warily hoping for rest soon.

"Ooh! Ooh! Go on! Come on!" He needed to hear this story now. Every word he heard echoed in his mind telling him to not forget.

"Don't rush me child. Once upon a time, the banished knight went back to his homeland where he now worked as a farm hand to a poor farmer. He grew content with the farmer as company but missed his Queen dearly. When his brother-in-arms came to visit him and deliver a message from his Queen, he was ecstatic. The Queen wanted him to name their child and he could not believe the news. She bore him a boy. And it was just how he wanted his child. It could looked much like him but had the Queen's vibrant green eyes." He named him happily unable to contain his joy."

"..."

No comment? "Tired? I could continue tomorrow." And that would be a great idea he thought. He was tired and he really needed to catch some z's.

"No. I'm just listening very carefully." The boy had a utmost serious look on his face.

The man could not resist the urge to laugh. He laughed clutching his stomach at the look on the boy's face.

He regained his composure when he saw the look of confusion on the lad's face. "Ah. Alright then. Once upon a time, the knight once again met the king of his homeland. He was frustrated with the king not protecting his people though they were being attacked. He made it his role to protect the innocents from getting harmed. Every time a stray ship attacked, he went to defend the people. As it continued, he gained tremendous love from the people of the land."

"So cool! Maybe I can be like that when I grow up!" That seemed like the right thing to do. Protect the people so their lives can be easier.

"Now, don't get ahead of yourself. Once, upon a time, the Queen longed to see her loyal knight once again so she decided to take action on her own and go to the Emerald Isle to visit him personally, after all, emotions are a really strong factor when you think about what drives people to do certain things. When she arrived, she faced a surprise, the original king had died and her banished knight was now the new king. Peace and prosperity had followed the beginning years of his reign. When she returned home, an ambassador was sent along so the foreign king would stop destroying the Isle's vessels for no reason. When the ship returned, it had been sabotaged and those on it were hurt."

"That is one evil king."

"Now, don't just judge people. However, it is very much true with this arrogant king. Now, here is the more, interesting part you wanted to see. Once upon a time, war was declared between the two isles. Both isles decided to help the new king get rid of the king. Many a person was lost wether it was innocents or knights. Now was the time to be rid of the tyrant. Later, there would be plenty of time to mourn for those lost fighting or in any way that relates to the war."

"Grandpa."

"Yes?"

"Why are you telling me this story? It's so... so..." The boy struggled to find the right word to describe how he felt.

"Strange? Nothing like the other fairy tales that go like princess was kidnapped, Prince Charming slew the dragon and they lived happily ever after?"

"Yeah."

"I will tell you later my lad. For now, let this old man finish. Once upon a time, inside the castle, the Queen left to find her son. He escaped safely to her relif but she... She had to kill her own knight. She was hurt. It was all her fault. She went back to find her daughter completely safe. She did not notice the foreign king come behind quietly and thwack! He shot an arrow killing her own daughter in front of the Queen. The new king came running and he attempted to fight the other king. The results were disastrous. The king was wounded and the Queen enraged. She attacked the foreign king and she won taking out all her pain on him. For not giving back when she gave so much to him, for hurting her people, for causing everyone so much pain. She cried for him and could for the first time. The king was dying and when everyone saw that, they were stricken with grief. In his final moments, in order to give the Queen back her throne, he married her. Not much later, he died from his wounds received from the battle with foreign king. When he died, they buried him in Avalon, a beautiful isle where fresh water ran through despite being surrounded by an ocean. And he would be the only one buried there.

Once upon a time, the boy grew, he came to age to inherit the throne but the people came to love their Queen. They understood why she did what she did. And so, she stayed on the throne. Soon, she had a grandson, practically a complete copy of his grandfather. He grew powerful until no one in the Isles could defeat him. The Queen merely smiled when she challenged him. She won telling him to practice to become better. She left then to visit her late husband. There, she placed down her sword and went to his grave. There, she died. The people made an exception to the rule and she was buried alongside her husband.

Once upon a time, two great rulers walked among all. **NIHIL ENIM MANET IN AETERNUM - NOTHING LASTS FOREVER. **People say, by living another day, you delay the inevitable. However, by living another day, you simply get a day closer to the inevitable okay? I know you're young but I want you to face reality. No matter how harsh, I know you will be brave.

Goodnight." He sighed, a sign he was worn out tonight.

"Yup! I'll be just like that king or knight or whatever! I'll face every challenge face-to-face! 'Night." With that big smile of his, he ducked under the covers and began sleeping.

And with that, the boy fell asleep while his grandfather turned off the bedside lamp and chuckled to himself about the boy's ideas. Sometimes, though, he had to admit, he was proud of the boy. He was sure he would grow up to be a fine man. He smiled fondly at the thought smiling before going to his room and falling into a deep slumber.

**Well! Hoped you liked it! PM or write in the review some tips I can use to improve. Thanks for taking some of your precious time to read this.**


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